Chang'an is not far from Luoyang.
At least for people like Chen Yun who attain enlightenment, it is not far.
In an instant, he had already arrived at the envoy's residence in Luoyang.
Inside the room, Naihe and Yaohe were sitting quietly, watching the scenery outside the window.
The daytime team consisting of Xunhe, Ci Xian Monk, and Li Ming for the condolence procession has not yet arrived.
"Master Chen, you've arrived," Naihe sat there without moving, his tone filled with admiration, "It's been over ten days since I last saw you, and it seems your cultivation has increased greatly."
Chen Yun walked over to the two people, pulled out a chair and sat down, "It's just that I occasionally have some insights, and by chance, my cultivation has increased a bit."
Yaohe's tone held a touch of envy as he said, "The Daoist cultivation differs greatly from us laymen, and some can achieve enlightenment in a moment and become immortals. We simply don't have that fortune."
Indeed, there are many differences between Daoist cultivation and the practices of demons and heretics.
Achieving enlightenment and becoming an immortal in a single moment is not uncommon in the Daoist tradition.
Some may even reach such a level of enlightenment that they instantly become celestial immortals.
However, such occurrences are typically attributed to powerful immortals who have undergone reincarnation and are re-cultivating.
Ordinary people, even if they achieve enlightenment in a single moment, can at most attain the status of celestial immortals.
Of course, those who have attained enlightenment and become immortals still possess the possibility of achieving a sudden enlightenment and experiencing a rapid leap in their mastery.
Chen Yun's cultivation increased significantly in just over ten days, and this was considered a sudden enlightenment by Naihe and Yaohe. In reality, it was very normal.
He naturally wouldn't tell anyone that he had used a magical elixir to increase his cultivation.
Chen Yun changed the subject, "Have Gouteng and Xie Wu escaped?"
Naihe simply nodded indifferently, "Xie Wu has a Wind God Flag that can temporarily dispel the true fire of the sun. My master and I cannot withstand the power of fire, so we could only watch them escape."
Yaohe sighed, "The Wind God Flag and the Star Fire Protection Dome are exceptionally incredible. Unfortunately, my brother and I don't have any powerful treasure weapons. If we had, we could have destroyed the Wind God Flag and the Star Fire Protection Dome and certainly killed these two people."
Chen Yun was not surprised by this, and even felt a hint of secret joy.
His hatred for Xie Wu and Gouteng Tao Ren is not something that started just today. He would much rather take vengeance on them himself, rather than rely on Naihe and Yaohe to do the deed. These two old villains must be eradicated!
This time, both Gouteng Tao Ren and Xie Wu sustained serious injuries, and it's likely that they won't dare to cause trouble again for a while.
Chen Yun knew that he would have a considerable amount of time ahead to focus on enhancing his cultivation.
By the time they meet again, he will definitely have a chance to defeat Xie Wu.
However, Gouteng Tao Ren's cultivation is too high, and some kind of strategy might be needed.
Unconsciously, his mind wandered back to the miraculous oil lamp in the Sun-Moon Lake cave realm.
If he could obtain that treasure, perhaps he could break the Star Fire Protection Dome.
As for the Wind God Flag, the Seven Treasures of Wonder are temporarily powerful enough to hold it off.
Just as Chen Yun was deep in thought,
Yaohe said, "Xie Wu was injured by you, Master Chen. And Gouteng that old villain was also beaten badly by my brother to save Xie Wu. They all received serious injuries, and I estimate that it will take at least several years for them to recover. For the time being, we cannot find them, which is truly regrettable."
"Several years is a very long time for mortals," Naihe's tone was calm and unaffected, as if he were expounding some truth, "However, for us immortals, it's just a blink of an eye. Throughout history, the rise and fall of empires are like transient clouds in our eyes. In the eyes of immortals, it's just like watching a white horse gallop past."
Chen Yun agreed with Naihe's opinion.
For mortals, several years really are an incredibly long time.
The life span of immortals is so long, and practicing cultivation, even just secluding oneself in a cave, might mean that a hundred years pass by in the blink of an eye.
In fact, right now, when he confronts Xie Wu and Gouteng Tao Ren, he really has no chance of winning.
With several years to develop, his chances of winning would greatly increase.
Without mentioning anything else, as long as I have a year to absorb all the medicinal effects of the liqi Tang, my cultivation will far exceed Xie Wu's.
If I were to have more extraordinary experiences in the future, I could raise my cultivation to the realm of Earth Immortals, and then gather all the herbs needed for the transformation elixir. It wouldn't be impossible to surpass Gouteng Tao Ren's cultivation.
Naihe's words seemed to be not just about Xie Wu and Gouteng.
He pointed to the bamboo forest outside, "The trend of the world is that a long division must lead to unity, and unity leads to division. At the end of the Zhou Dynasty, seven countries vied for supremacy and were united under Qin. After Qin was extinguished, Chu and Han fought for dominance and were again united under Han. Following this, the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties gave way to the Sui and Tang Dynasties in quick succession. Since Emperor Taizong of Tang's reign in 904 AD until now, numerous warlords have emerged across the country vying for power. The central plains have witnessed the rise and fall of states such as Liang before culminating in False Tang. At the end of last year, False Emperor Ming of Tang passed away, setting off hidden currents that flowed beneath the surface. The empire is swaying in the wind like a reed on a breeze—a perfect time for my people from Yan to seize control of central China."
As he spoke, Naihe turned his head to look at Chen Yun, "Master Chen, I know you are from the Central Plains. However, we immortals rarely have national sentiments; our eyes are only on the trend of the great cause. If you can help the true dragon secure the throne during the Investiture of the Gods war, your name could be inscribed on the Investiture Map of Deities, at least granting you divine power. If your merit is great enough, and you are granted a distinguished post in heaven, obtaining celestial abilities would not be out of the question. Do you see my Khitan Dynasty as having a chance to become the next ruler over all lands?"
Chen Yun doesn't know if other immortals have nostalgic feelings for their country.
Deep in his heart, he still considered himself a central plains native and had not forgotten his origins.
Moreover, Chen Yun had been reincarnated to this world with memories and had a general understanding of the historical trends.
Although the Khitan Dynasty was considered one of the legitimate dynasties by some people in later times, it never gained widespread recognition like the Song Dynasty did.
Therefore, he was certain that he did not approve of the Khitan Dynasty taking control of central China.
However, Chen Yun now needs to plan for the future and lay out the world for the true dragon Zhao Kuangyin. As he currently needs to rely on the power of the Khitan Dynasty to advance historical progress, he naturally wouldn't voice these thoughts.
He smiled and said, "The Khitan Dynasty is indeed strong enough to have the possibility of taking control of central China. Master Naihe, what profound meaning do you have in saying this to me?"
Naihe laughed heartily and said, "Exactly. I've observed that the false Tang Dynasty's fortune is not long for this world. I was thinking of giving it a push so that its edifice would collapse."
Yaohe then added, "In fact, my brother and I have been discussing this for a long time on our journey back from Tang Valley. In order to cause the false Tang Dynasty to collapse, we need to strike at a crucial point."
Chen Yun said, "I would like to hear the details."
Naihe looked at him seriously, "The crucial point is you."
"I?" Chen Yun roughly understood what the two were thinking, but still acted as if he didn't understand, "What do you mean by that?"
Naihe said, "During the struggle between the Liang Dynasty and False Tang for dominance, there were not many deities descending to aid them, because anyone could see from the fortunes of the two dynasties that it was not a long-term trend. The nobles of False Tang had not witnessed many truly divine wonders. If Master Chen can shake up many of these False Tang nobles, leading them to vie for his favor and support, then I may be able to incite them from the shadows. This might cause the False Tang regime to collapse and disintegrate in a short amount of time, giving my Khitan Dynasty the chance to advance into central China. At that point, Master Chen would have made a tremendous contribution, and he would likely be granted a prestigious post in heaven, even possibly becoming an emperor one day. Would you be interested in this?"
According to what Chen Yun knows, being inscribed on the Investiture Map of Deities usually comes with two possibilities.
The first possibility is that the divine power of the position granted by the Investiture Map of Deities does not match one's own, and a corresponding divine avatar will emerge to correspond with that power, allowing oneself to control it at will.
The second possibility is that the divine power granted by the position on the Investiture Map of Deities far exceeds one's own. The map will then infuse this divine power into the body of the deified individual, granting them the divine might corresponding to that position, while also not diminishing their own cultivation. They can still cultivate normally as before.
In simpler terms, you are still yourself, but with an added layer of powerful force and the ability to command various divine powers.
This powerful divine force does not raise one's own cultivation level, but it can allow people to experience the countless secrets of higher cultivation levels before they actually attain them, which is more conducive to improving their own cultivation.
The former is relatively easy to accept, but the latter allows people to peek into higher levels in advance, which is indeed very tempting.
However, in reality, Chen Yun is not particularly interested in the Investiture War.
Inner Dan Dao, an unfathomable and all-encompassing spiritual art, is involved.
Once mastered, it can easily shake the heavens and worlds.
Who cares about whether they are deified or not?
The reason why I'm involved in it.
One reason is that I once promised Ji Xin to secure at least the position of a Yīnjiā (spiritual aide) for him and his brothers.
As a person who values loyalty, he naturally needs to fulfill his promise.
On the other hand, my master suffered.
Chen Yun had received the blessings of wisdom through the inheritance of his opponent, and he couldn't remain indifferent.
Thinking of accumulating enough merits to rescue him from the heavenly prison.
Of course, he would not reveal even a hint of these words to Naihe and Yaohe.
Chen Yun said, "Any cultivator would be moved by this."
Naihe and Yaohe exchanged a glance, both of them seeing a smile in each other's eyes.
Naihe seized the opportunity to speak, "Then, Master Chen, I have a clever plan that can bring down False Tang within a short period of time. Would you like to listen to this plan and see if it is feasible?"
Chen Yun said, "Please go ahead."
Naihe said, "Master Chen, if I may present my plan: before the death of the False Tang Emperor, he passed the throne to his second son Li Congtong. This person may have good intentions in governing well, but his nature is soft and indecisive, without good judgment of people. As a result, Zhu Hongzhao and Feng Yun have become overly confident due to their contributions in establishing the new emperor and have been dominating government affairs. They have expelled all of Li Congtong's trusted advisors from the government and transferred Generals An Yanwei and Zhang Congbin to be governors to seize control of the military. As long as you can convince these two to rebel against False Tang, it is only a matter of time before it collapses. At that point, we will ask the current emperor of our Khitan Dynasty to send a letter to Li Congtong's adopted son Li Zhongkui expressing our willingness to assist him in defeating Zhu Hongzhao and Feng Yun's rebellion. Then, we can enter central China officially."
Indeed, those who are not of our kind cannot be trusted. This strategy is exceptionally malevolent.
On the surface, the Khitan Empire is offering to help Li Congtong quell the rebellion led by Zhu Hongzhao and Feng Yun.
In reality, they would secretly succeed in bringing their army into the heart of the Central Plains.
Once Li Congtong engages in a power struggle with Zhu Hongzhao and Feng Yun, can't the Khitan Empire benefit as a bystander in the conflict?
Chen Yun knows that if he were to really follow Naihe's plan, it could very well alter the course of history.
Unfortunately, even if he had achieved enlightenment and immortality, there was still some nostalgia for his homeland lingering in his heart. He did not want the Khitan Dynasty to take control of central China.
Chen Yun did not reject the proposal, but instead, with a half-smile, he said, "I have a more cunning plan. Brothers Naihe and Yaohe, when the mourning party arrives in Luoyang, just observe the changes as they happen."
Naihe and Yaohe knew that Chen Yun would not act without a purpose.
Both of them could not help but light up with excitement in their eyes, each lost in thought about what Chen Yun's clever plan could be to bring down the Later Tang Dynasty.
(Chapter ends)
